Thank you, Mr. Chair.
First of all, I'd like to ask the minister about job quality. The recently released CIBC employment quality index had our job quality at record low levels, Mr. Minister, and according to a recent study published by the United Way in Toronto, barely 50% of workers in the greater Toronto area have job security, meaning as permanent, full-time employees with some kinds of benefits. They also found that precarious labour has risen 10% since 2001. TD estimated that the wage gap between precarious and permanent employment is now up to $18,000 a year.
Why is it that your government has prioritized tax cuts for the wealthiest families in Canada in its latest budget rather than address the very serious problem of precarious labour and work to attract investment in Canada that will actually help get these precarious workers into stable jobs of some kind?